Pneumatic carrier.



N0. 640-,l45. Patented Dec. 26, I899.

J. A. MUDD.

PNEUMATIC CARRIER.

(Application filed May 16, 1899.)

(No Model.)

m: Norms PETERS 420.. PHDTO-LITHQ, \VASHNDTUN, 0.1:v

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN ALEXIS MUDD, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

PNEUMATIC CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,145, dated December 26, 1899.

Application filed May 16, 1899. Serial No. 717,090. N model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN ALEXIS MUDD, paymaster United States Navy, stationed at Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, Brooklyn,) in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Carriers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in carriers for use in pneumatic-despatch systems; and it has for its object the provision of a cheap, convenient, and reliable means for indicating to the operator at the central oflice the destination of the package either upon its outgoing or upon its return trip.

In pneumaticdespatch apparatuses now commonly in use it has been customary to provide carriers adapted for. transmission to but a single destination, and it is to avoid this expensive as well as troublesome necessity that this present invention is intended.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a pneumatic-despatch carrier provided with my invention in one simple form. Fig. 2 is a partial View of a carrier similar to that shown in Fig. 1, having the indicator-band detached therefrom. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the indicator-band shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 2, showing another form of my invention. Fig. 5is a view showing the carrier illustrated in Fig. 4 as having its indicator-band removed. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the indicator-band shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is aview similar to Fig. 4, showing still another form of my invention. Fig. 8 is a view showing the ring illustrated in Fig. 7 as having been turned to cover the name of the destination shown in Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 represents a perspective view of the ring shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the carrier A, which is of the cylindrical form commonly used in pneumatic-despatch systems, has end cushions A and A which serve as buffers. Near one end of the carrier is formed an annular groove A, and into this groove and surrounding the said carrier more or less closely, so as to be moved only when desired by the hand of the person, is fitted a flat annular ring B. This ring B carries a pointer, which may be either a projection upon or from the said ring or may be simply the representation of an arrow, as shown at b, stamped into or otherwise permanently placed upon the said ring. Stamped or otherwise permanently placed upon the outer surface of the carrier, adjacent to the ring 13, are a series of numerals or other characters, each indicative of a particular destination in the system for which the carrier is used, as shown at B in Figs. 1 and 2. It will thus be seen that when a message is to be transmitted through the central office to a particular destination the original sender of the message turns the ring B about the carrierbody until the pointer b thereon stands opposite the numeral or other character which in dicates the destination desired. The carrier is then placed in the despatch-tube and sent to the central office, where the attendant looks at the indicator on the carrier and places the carrier in the appropriate tube for transmit= ting the message to its proper destination.

Instead of the construction and arrange ment shown in Figs. 1 to 3 I may use an ar= rangement such as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, wherein C represents a ring iittingin the annular groove A upon the carrier A, the said ring being provided with a circular opening C to disclose one of the series 0 of numerals or other characters affixed to the body of the carrier in the bottom of the annular groove A In this arrangement all the numerals or other characters will be covered by the ring except the one disclosed through the opening 0 in the ring 0 by the appropriate adjust ment of the said ring.

In Figs. 7, 8, and 9 I have shown a still further modification of the same general idea, in which the ring D has an elongated slot D therein arranged to move over a stud a, fixed in the groove A upon the carrier. An arrangement of this sort is adapted for use where a limited adjustment of the ring is desired, so that when in one extreme adjust ment the indication of a destination is seen, as at D in Fig. 7, while at the other extreme adjustment this indication is completely covered.

From the foregoing it Will be seen that a single carrier provided With any desired number of marks or characters thereon for indicating a corresponding number of destinations may be used for transmitting messages to any one of the said destinations with perfeet aecuracy, it being merely necessary for the person sending the original message to take care that the indicator be adjusted to indicate the desired destination before sending the carrier to the central office.

It is customary to have a distinguishingmark upon the carriers belonging to a certain station, and hence upon the return trip of the carrier from its original destination it merely becomes necessary to adjust the indicator to zero or to move it to some other point which would cover all indications of particular destination.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A carrier for pneumatiedespateh systems, having a series of characters or marks thereon corresponding to stations in the system, in combination with an adjustable band surrounding the carrier and provided with means for indicating any single one of said characters or marks, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a carrier for pneumatie-despatch systems, said carrier having an annular surrounding groove thereon, and devices displayed thereon corresponding to a series of stations in the system; of a ring fitting closely within said groove and adjustable about the carrier-body, said ring being provided with means for indicating a single one ofsaid devices, substantially as described.

3. A carrier for pneumatic-despateh systems, comprising a cylindrical body; and a ring surrounding and fitting closely upon the said body and adjustable thereon about the said body; the said carrier and the said ring being provided with an indicator cooperating with a series of characters corresponding with stations in the system whereby the adjustment of the ring elifects an indication of a particular station as the designation for the carrier.

4. The combination with a cylindrical carrier for despatch-tube systems; of an adjustable ring permanantly mounted upon said carrier and devices indicating a particnlarstation by the adjustment of the ring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ai'fix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ALEXIS MUDD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. F. HINCKLEY, J12, G. O. CREELMAN. 

